Sensor systems integrated with footwear

• US 10,352,787 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BeBop Sensors, Inc.
• Original Assignee: BeBop Sensors, Inc.
• Inventors: McMillen, Keith A., Wille, Gregory, McAnulty, Daniel Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Noori, Max H
• Application Number:
  US15/835,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20180094991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 73774
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 17/00 Insoles for insertion, e.g. footbeds or inlays, for attachment to the shoe after the upper has been joined
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/005 by electrical means and not provided for in G01L1/06 - G01L1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/06 by measuring the permanent deformation of gauges, e.g. of compressed bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/18 using properties of piezo-resistive materials, i.e. materials of which the ohmic resistance varies according to changes in magnitude or direction of force applied to the material
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/205 using distributed sensing elements

Abstract

Sensors and sensor systems incorporating piezoresistive materials for integration with footwear are described.

Claims

1. A sensor system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each sensor including piezoresistive fabric and two or more conductors in contact with the piezoresistive fabric; and

sensor circuitry configured to activate and receive signals from the sensors via the conductors, each signal representing a force acting on a corresponding sensor, the sensor circuitry having associated memory and being further configured to determine a force value for each signal using sensor data stored in the memory, the sensor data including a plurality of stored values for each sensor, the plurality of stored values representing a response of the corresponding sensor to a range of forces.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to determine the force value for each signal by mapping an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) value for each signal to a corresponding one of the stored values in the memory associated with the sensor circuitry.

3. The sensor system of claim 2, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to determine the force value for each signal by interpolation using the corresponding stored value.

4. The sensor system of claim 2, wherein the ADC values are generated by an ADC converter, and wherein the memory includes one of the stored values for each sensor for each possible output value of the ADC converter.

5. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to determine the force value corresponding to a sensor of interest by generating a first value with the sensor of interest activated, generating a second value with remaining sensors activated, and processing the first and second values to account for parasitic resistances of the plurality of sensors.

6. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to process the signals corresponding to multiple sensors to determine a speed and a direction represented by changes in the corresponding forces.

7. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors is configured on the piezoresistive fabric, and wherein the conductors are printed, screened, or deposited on the piezoresistive fabric.

8. The sensor system of claim 7, wherein the sensor circuitry is connected to the conductors of the sensors via routing conductors, and wherein the routing conductors are insulated from the piezoresistive fabric.

9. The sensor system of claim 7, further comprising a dielectric substrate, wherein the dielectric substrate is secured to the piezoresistive fabric only at locations on the piezoresistive fabric where there are no sensors.

10. The sensor system of claim 7, wherein the piezoresistive fabric is included among a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers further including top and bottom layers that combine to enclose and provide environmental protection to the piezoresistive fabric.

11. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors is configured on a dielectric substrate, wherein the conductors are printed, screened, or deposited on the dielectric substrate.

12. The sensor system of claim 11, wherein the sensor circuitry is connected to the conductors of the sensors via routing conductors, and wherein the routing conductors are insulated from the piezoresistive fabric.

13. The sensor system of claim 11, wherein the dielectric substrate is secured to the piezoresistive fabric only at locations on the piezoresistive fabric where there are no sensors.

14. The sensor system of claim 11, wherein the piezoresistive fabric and the dielectric substrate are included among a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers further including top and bottom layers that combine to enclose and provide environmental protection to the piezoresistive fabric and the dielectric substrate.

15. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a plurality of subsets, each of which includes multiple sensors, and wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to simultaneously activate and a receive signals from all of the sensors in each subset.

16. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the response of each sensor encompasses a range of about 50 grams to about 100 kilograms.

17. A sensor system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each sensor comprising two or more conductors printed, screened, or deposited on piezoresistive fabric; and

sensor circuitry configured to activate and receive signals from the sensors via the conductors, each signal representing a force acting on a corresponding sensor, the sensor circuitry being further configured to determine a force value for each signal by mapping an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) value for each signal to at least one of a plurality of stored values for the corresponding sensor in memory associated with the sensor circuitry, the plurality of stored values for each sensor representing a response of the corresponding sensor to a range of forces.

18. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to determine the force value for each signal by interpolation using the at least one of the plurality of stored values.

19. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the ADC values are generated by an ADC converter, and wherein the plurality of stored values for each sensor includes a stored value for each possible output value of the ADC converter.

20. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to determine the force value corresponding to a sensor of interest by generating a first value with the sensor of interest activated, generating a second value with remaining sensors activated, and processing the first and second values to account for parasitic resistances of the plurality of sensors.

21. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to process the signals corresponding to multiple sensors to determine a speed and a direction represented by changes in the corresponding forces.

22. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the sensor circuitry is connected to the conductors of the sensors via routing conductors, and wherein the routing conductors are insulated from the piezoresistive fabric.

23. The sensor system of claim 17, further comprising a dielectric substrate, wherein the dielectric substrate is secured to the piezoresistive fabric only at locations on the piezoresistive fabric where there are no sensors.

24. The sensor system of claim 17, wherein the piezoresistive fabric is included among a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers further including top and bottom layers that combine to enclose and provide environmental protection to the piezoresistive fabric.

25. A sensor system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each sensor comprising two or more conductors printed, screened, or deposited on a dielectric substrate, and piezoresistive fabric in contact with the conductors; and

sensor circuitry configured to activate and receive signals from the sensors via the conductors, each signal representing a force acting on a corresponding sensor, the sensor circuitry being further configured to determine a force value for each signal by mapping an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) value for each signal to at least one of a plurality of stored values for the corresponding sensor in memory associated with the sensor circuitry, the plurality of stored values for each sensor representing a response of the corresponding sensor to a range of forces.

26. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to determine the force value for each signal by interpolation using the at least one of the plurality of stored values.

27. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein the ADC values are generated by an ADC converter, and wherein the plurality of stored values for each sensor includes a stored value for each possible output value of the ADC converter.

28. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to determine the force value corresponding to a sensor of interest by generating a first value with the sensor of interest activated, generating a second value with remaining sensors activated, and processing the first and second values to account for parasitic resistances of the plurality of sensors.

29. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein the sensor circuitry is further configured to process the signals corresponding to multiple sensors to determine a speed and a direction represented by the corresponding forces.

30. The sensor system of claim 25, wherein the piezoresistive fabric and the dielectric substrate are included among a plurality of layers, the plurality of layers further including top and bottom layers that combine to enclose and provide environmental protection to the piezoresistive fabric and the dielectric substrate.